A 2023 photo of Atimah Camp in Syria, home to many Palestinians displaced by the country's civil war. Photo: Bilal Olimat/AFSC
PHILADELPHIA (July 1, 2025) Yesterday, the Trump Administration announced they were lifting most of the U.S. economic sanctions on Syria. The American Friends Committee (AFSC) – a Quaker organization with a long history in the region – welcomed the move.
“I write to you from Damascus, Syria, a city that was once thriving with trade, art, and culture. The Assad regime’s five-decade dictatorship, U.S. imposed sanctions, and international and extremist forces have stifled the country’s inhabitants who are drowning in extreme poverty,” said Nusaiba Mubarak, Middle East Policy Advocacy Coordinator for AFSC. “Being in Syria is like entering a time portal, riding in barely functioning cabs from the 1980s because people cannot trade or import new parts under sanctions. Power is costly and only afforded to a segment of the population that can afford generators, while most people have limited access to water or electricity.
“For over half a century, Syrian people have suffered systemic imprisonment, torture, and forced disappearances, chemical weapon attacks on civilians and mass displacement. It is our hope that Syrian people can return home safely, rebuild their country, and resume their nation’s legacy of economic strength, religious and ethnic diversity, and historical significance globally.”
Lifting sanctions will allow the Syrian people economic relief; 90% of Syrians live below the poverty line and there is massive unemployment. The majority of people are food insecure and don't have access to electricity for more than a few hours a day. AFSC has long advocated for sanctions relief due to the harm inflicted upon civilian populations both in Syria and elsewhere. Last month, AFSC joined 157 other organizations in demanding the removal of sanctions on Syria. The organization is advocating that lifting sanctions on Syria be a first step in a general reevaluation of sanction policy and an end to most U.S. sanctions regimes.
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The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) promotes a world free of violence, inequality, and oppression. Guided by the Quaker belief in the divine Light within each person, we nurture the seeds of change and the respect for human life to fundamentally transform our societies and institutions. We work with people and partners worldwide, of all faiths and backgrounds, to meet urgent community needs, challenge injustice, and build peace.